Friends
by Deaf Center
Summary: Another lazy day on the Island for Tidus and Waka. They both have a secret to tell.


Another lazy day on the Island for Tidus and Waka. They both have a secret to tell. Tidus is desperately in love with his best friend, and does his best to hide it. But what's Waka hiding? This story is in Tidus' point of view. WakaxTidus, mentions of other pairings.

I own nothing.

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It's another nice day outside, but the weather is hardly ever bad here. He makes the suggestion that you go out to the Island today. You quickly agree, loving the thought of spending time with him. He smiles that goofy lopsided smile at you, and your heart turns to mush. You turn away from him, so he doesn't see the horrible blush rising to your cheeks. You can hardly hear it, and almost don't believe you heard anything at all, but you think you hear him chuckle softly, as if he knows. But you erase that thought from your mind. You've kept your attraction for him hidden for so long; you hope he never finds out. What would the island's reigning blitzball champ want with a scrawny kid like you anyways?

"Tidus? Ya there?"

His voice breaks you out of your musings and you turn to face him, apologizing for your spaced out moment. This time you know he's laughing and you smile and can't help but to laugh yourself. He just shakes his head at you, used to your day dreaming. You're glad he hasn't found it weird, or stopped being your friend because of it. You don't really know what you would do without Waka. Sure you have Selphie and the others, but none of them are like Waka. He's been your best friend for as long as you can remember, and you count your lucky stars. Not many people get such loyal friends in their life time; you're grateful for what you have.

The two of you make your way out to the Island, sharing a canoe. He sits in front as always, an arrangement you two agreed on a long time ago. You like that the two of you have things like that. Like whenever he's at your house, he gets the left side of the couch, or you always drink from the red cup at his place. It's the little things you share with him that make you love him so much. You don't have that with anyone else, not even Selphie, though she is the only one who knows your feelings towards Waka. You had to tell someone; unrequited love is especially painful when you keep it all to yourself. You're glad Selphie's such a good friend; you know she'd take your secret to the grave with her before she ever told Waka.

You dock at the island, Waka getting out to pull the canoe up onto the beach. He does it by himself, even with you still in the canoe. You admire his strength, but blow a raspberry at him, saying next time you'll do it.

The two of you laugh and push each other, making your way up to your favorite tree where you sit and talk for hours. You're glad no one else is here today, but you're unsure of how long it will last. Because you're shorter, he helps you into the tree, his strong hands holding your waist as you climb. You like his touch, his firm grip. He knows this embarrasses you, so he doesn't laugh, but you can see the smile playing at his lips.

The two of you just sit there, watching the small swells in the ocean, enjoying the cool breeze. And he turns to you, wanting to say something, but he doesn't. You ask him what's up, but he just shakes his head, a dark blush staining his tanned cheeks. You elbow him in the ribs playfully, begging him to tell you. And he looks over at you, a very vulnerable look in his eyes. You've never seen that before, and it scares you a little.

"I need your advice…"

He trails off, looking away again. Advice? Sure, you're good for that. You nod, eyes still trained on him.

"What do you do when ya like someone, but aren't sure how they feel?"

Your eyes widen, sitting there stunned. And your heart crumbles in your chest, you can feel it dying. You turn pale and shaky, but manage to keep your tone even, when you advise him to just tell the person. You laugh a bitter laugh inside, giving him advice you should probably take yourself. But you still hold onto a glimmer of hope; maybe it's you after all. You don't know till he says it.

"So ya think I should tell Selphie?"

You silently beg God to just kill you now. The tears are threatening to fall and you tilt your head back, willing them to dry. Sucking in a shaky breath, you can do no more than nod. From the corner of your eye, you can see his smile. And now you know, it's not because of you.

"Thanks Tidus. You're a really good friend."

You close your eyes. Never have those words hurt so much. You feel sick, but you can't start freaking out. Then he'll know for sure. And then what? You calm yourself down, bottling up your emotions and pushing them away into the depths of your soul. Now you had to settle; settle for just being his friend.

Friend. You could be that for him, no matter how much it kills you. Because you love him.

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How can I improve? What did you like? What didn't you like? What needs more work? Any and all comments are appreciated!


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